Garcilaso de la Vega

Garcilaso de la Vega (gärthēläˈsō ħā lä vāˈgä) [key], 1503?–1536, lyric poet of the Spanish Golden Age, b. Toledo. Garcilaso, the embodiment of the cultured and gifted courtier, was chiefly responsible for the renovation of Spanish poetry. He was the first to adapt successfully the Italian 11-syllable line to the mood and content of Spanish poetry—an innovation suggested by his friend Boscán. Garcilaso's verse, noted for its delicacy, was published with that of Boscán in 1543. It includes sonnets, elegies, odes, and three eclogues.